From analysing the sound in the opening sequence, you can immediately tell that its going to hold suspense from the music played at the beginning. It consists of a long high pitched monotone which is very sinister. At the end of the there is a bang and shattering glass of a window, this is the first bit of diegetic sound that is heard. Most of the diegetic sound heard in the sequence is made up of banging of doors and guns. The large bangs make the audience jump and may make them feel on edge creating tension. In the first part of the opening sequence screams can also be heard alongside the gun shots, screaming is very conventional of a thriller. Violins are used to create a sinister atmosphere and as this music increases in tempo the heist of the bank proceeds. Throughout the raid of the bank a ticking noise can be heard as an undertone in the music this shows the race against time, like a time bomb and again makes the audience feel on edge. At the very end of the sequence who can hear police sirens so it is evident that that a crime has happened.
Continuity editing is used throughout, the zip line sequence shows this as there are several shots of the burglars setting up the zip line and then going on it and landing on a roof. Spatial editing is also used widely during this sequence, cutting to many places consecutively and this shows the complexity of the plan and the fast pace of it. For example, it cuts from robbers in the lobby to reaction shots of the manager. All of the editing is of a very fast pace with smooth cuts, this shows that the plan is very witty and efficient because of the speed at which it is completed. Linear editing is used as well, as the heist of the bank is all shown in chronological order. Cross cutting is used in one particular part of the sequence and this shows that the characters shown in each shot are connected.
Within this sequence there are a lot of shots and the duration of each shot is not very long which again, demonstrates how quickly the crime was done. All of the shots below are incorporated in the sequence:
- Track forward
- Mid shot
- Low angle
- High angle
- Over the shoulder
- Close up
- 2 shot
- Long shot
- Medium close up
The establishing shot is track forward to build up suspense and mystery, the shot is only of a building so it leaves the audience in the unknown. Mystery is one of the conventions of a thriller. There are many over the shoulder shots and this shows the point of view of the character. The characters that this shot focuses on is the ones committing the crime because they are each doing a different job within the heist so it shows the audience what each robber is doing, again this shows the complexity of the plan. Tracks are used a lot to follow the robber and by following them which builds tension and makes the viewer feel as if they are there, which could make them feel tense also. Handheld camera shots are also used to follow the robbers and this shows the viewer their point of view.
All of the robbers involved in the heist are wearing clown masks and clowns can be seen and quite a creepy and un-nerving image. The masks also mask the identity of the robbers and may make the viewer feel uneasy especially because they have no facial expressions. These clown masks contrast with the suits of the bankers so you can distinguish between the bad and the good guys. Most of the props are guns and holdalls containing money and different gadgets which is stereotypical of a bank heist.
From the opening sequence of The Dark Knight, you can see elements of the genre, thriller but it is not really obvious that this is what it is. From my point of view I would think that it is an action thriller which is more of a sub-genre.
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